6.5" vs 8" handling

mjoekingz28 · May 9, 2015

What can you say about going from a steel 16 x 6.5" steel wheel to an aluminum 16 x 8" wheel in regards to.... Mainly handling as on a sports type corner on rails type ride, shock and bump absorbtion and tow rating.

What differences do you think you could feel from the driver's seat between the two types of wheel?

qjohn · May 9, 2015

I can say: Wider is better.

4wheeldog · May 9, 2015

Make sure the offset is correct. And use tires meant for the wider rims. Tires should be wider, with a lower aspect ratio. Try to stay close to the original rolling radius.

Other than that, new tire weight rating will determine if their is any difference for towing......Though, assuming the rest of the vehicle is the same, tires/wheels were not likely the single item that set the limit.

And....for max handling, you will have to do some experimenting with tire pressure. I suspect optimum might be a bit lower, than with your present set up. Mess with one thing, six others are affected.

Olas · May 9, 2015

For mechanical grip and the ability to corner quickly go wider, and softer compound.

More aspect ratio = better ride comfort

Unsprung rotational mass is very important for cornering ability and feel, less is better (get the lightest wheel/tyre combo you can get)

Smaller diameter for acceleration, larger diameter for top speed, or keep the same diameter for accurate speedo and mpg figures.

Tow rating is tyre dependant, not wheel dependant. (within reason)

skyactiv · May 9, 2015

I had a 93 Camry that came with 195/70/14's. I replaced them with 205/55/16's from a newer Camry. The handling was better but the car was noticeably slower and required a bit more gas. I was really disheartened how it made the car feel slower. Here's an interesting read:

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/effects-of-upsized-wheels-and-tires-tested

HerrStig · May 9, 2015

Originally Posted By: skyactiv
I had a 93 Camry that came with 195/70/14's. I replaced them with 205/55/16's from a newer Camry. The handling was better but the car was noticeably slower and required a bit more gas. I was really disheartened how it made the car feel slower. Here's an interesting read:

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/effects-of-upsized-wheels-and-tires-tested
205 65 15 would have been a good replacement. It's what the Gen 4 V6 used OEM.

asand1 · May 9, 2015

I went from 15x6.5" to 17x8". I have 3.0 V6 and 5 speed and did not notice a decrease in acceleration or mpg. I can say handling is much better, I can hold my speed cornering, and ride is still pleasant with a 235/45ZR17.

Quattro Pete · May 9, 2015

Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
What can you say about going from a steel 16 x 6.5" steel wheel to an aluminum 16 x 8" wheel in regards to.... Mainly handling as on a sports type corner on rails type ride, shock and bump absorbtion and tow rating.

What differences do you think you could feel from the driver's seat between the two types of wheel?

More lateral grip. Possibly more tramlining.

Other stuff like steering response or shock and bump absorption should not change since you're staying with the same rim diameter and hence will be picking a tire with the same/similar sidewall height, if you want to remain the same as OEM diameter, which you should.

01rangerxl · May 9, 2015

On my old 2001 Ranger regular cab 2WD, I went from stock 15x6 steel wheels to American Racing Baja 15x7 alloys. I think the offset was also different, which widened the track a little. I reused the tires I already had on it as they had plenty of life left.

The handling difference was quite noticeable. The truck handled beautifully on the AR Bajas. Felt much more planted and stable.

mjoekingz28 · May 10, 2015

Originally Posted By: 4wheeldog
Make sure the offset is correct. And use tires meant for the wider rims. Tires should be wider, with a lower aspect ratio. Try to stay close to the original rolling radius.

Other than that, new tire weight rating will determine if their is any difference for towing......Though, assuming the rest of the vehicle is the same, tires/wheels were not likely the single item that set the limit.

And....for max handling, you will have to do some experimenting with tire pressure. I suspect optimum might be a bit lower, than with your present set up. Mess with one thing, six others are affected.

Goodyear says their 245/75-16 tire is good on 6.5 - 8" rims.

mjoekingz28 · May 10, 2015

To add, thanks to some CL fellow, the castings (right,not stamped) specs that max psi is 60. Is it odd that 60psi is wellbelow the 80 psi spec on yhe door, yet they have a max load of 3420 which is higher than some tires Im lookingat.

Not that it matters too much!

Thanks-a-lot

CapriRacer · May 10, 2015

Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
What can you say about going from a steel 16 x 6.5" steel wheel to an aluminum 16 x 8" wheel in regards to.... Mainly handling as on a sports type corner on rails type ride, shock and bump absorbtion and tow rating.

What differences do you think you could feel from the driver's seat between the two types of wheel?

The biggest change is going to be in the quickness to steering input - wider being quicker. The ride will also degrade.

But I think both of those will be hard to quantify for the average motorist.

Overall grip is going to be highly dependent on the individual tire and how much the change in width changes the geometry.

Tow rating? None what so ever.

Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
Goodyear says their 245/75-16 tire is good on 6.5 - 8" rims.

Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
To add, thanks to some CL fellow, the castings (right,not stamped) specs that max psi is 60. Is it odd that 60psi is well below the 80 psi spec on the door, yet they have a max load of 3420 which is higher than some tires I'm looking at.

Not that it matters too much!.....

Oh that matters a great deal. The door says 80 psi for an LT245/75R16. If you run a full load and don't use 80 psi, your tires are likely to fail - very bad!!

Oh and the tires say 3042#, not 3420#.

Now the spec on the wheel - max 60 psi? I've tried many times to clarify that that is important - and all 4 times I came across someone whose opinion I think matters (a wheel engineer or the like), they all said it was the load that mattered and not the pressure - that the pressure is a minor consideration when it comes to the flange strength (where it matters the most).

So while I say this with hesitation, I don't think the wheel's max pressure matters much and if forced to either use more than the max or compromise the load carrying capacity of the tire - use more than the max!

Olas · May 10, 2015

Originally Posted By: asand1
I went from 15x6.5" to 17x8". I have 3.0 V6 and 5 speed and did not notice a decrease in acceleration or mpg. I can say handling is much better, I can hold my speed cornering, and ride is still pleasant with a 235/45ZR17.

Handling improved because of a wider footprint, allowing more lateral G before loss of traction.

What were the tyre sizes on the 15s and the 17s? Rolling radius is more important than wheelsize. Look at www.willtheyfit.com for a visual explanation.

asand1 · May 15, 2015

Originally Posted By: Olas
Originally Posted By: asand1
I went from 15x6.5" to 17x8". I have 3.0 V6 and 5 speed and did not notice a decrease in acceleration or mpg. I can say handling is much better, I can hold my speed cornering, and ride is still pleasant with a 235/45ZR17.

Handling improved because of a wider footprint, allowing more lateral G before loss of traction.

What were the tyre sizes on the 15s and the 17s? Rolling radius is more important than wheelsize. Look at www.willtheyfit.com for a visual explanation.

Original tyres (for you guys over the pond) were 205/65R15. I requested this size over what the tire shop recommended, as it was closer in circumference.

6.5" vs 8" handling

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